Tipton Acts to Empower Women in STEM

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill that will help encourage women to pursue careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Congressman Scott Tipton (CO-03), was an original cosponsor of the measure, the Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act (H.R. 321), which passed the House floor unanimously on Jan. 10, 2017.

“If the U.S. wants to continue leading the way in science and technology, we must empower our children to pursue opportunities in STEM fields, especially our daughters and granddaughters. Unfortunately, we know that women are often underrepresented in STEM fields,” said Tipton. “U.S. STEM leaders, like NASA, rely on U.S. talent to advance their innovation and discoveries. The INSPIRE Act gives NASA more tools to bring young girls and women into STEM fields, so we can ensure the U.S. has a skilled labor force and can remain competitive on the world stage.”

The INSPIRE Women Act requires NASA to send Congress a plan for how it will work with current and retired female astronauts and female innovators in STEM to engage K-12 female STEM students. The plan will focus on using existing programs, like NASA Girls and NASA Boys, Aspire to Inspire, and Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering and Research.